ANC KZN MPL Mervyn Dirks
Former Msunduzi Municipality deputy mayor and controversial ANC politician Mervyn Dirks has been thrust back into parliament.
Dirks, who resigned from the National Assembly amid a fallout with ANC national parliament leaders in January, was this week sworn in as an ANC KwaZulu-Natal member of the provincial legislature (MPL).
A Pietermaritzburg-based politician, Dirks told The Witness that he was looking forward to making “a meaningful contribution” to the KZN Legislature.
“As a person who comes from this province, I have a clear understanding of the challenges faced by our people. In the National Assembly, I think I gave it my all — to the point where I felt that I had nothing to contribute, hence my decision to resign as an MP.”
During his tenure as an MP, where he sat on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), Dirks irked party leaders when he called on Scopa to investigate President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In his complaint to Scopa, Dirks accused Ramaphosa of being in possession of information showing that government money was being used to finance ANC internal elections.
According to Dirks’ complaint, Ramaphosa failed to pass on the information to law enforcement agencies as required by law.
He was suspended by the ANC in parliament and recalled as a Scopa representative.
Scopa resolved not to pursue the matter after Ramaphosa clarified that the information which Dirks had claimed he was in possession of, was in the public domain.
At the time of Dirks’ resignation, the ANC parliamentary leadership had instituted disciplinary processes against him, leading to speculation that the he was put under pressure to vacate his National Assembly MP position.
However, Dirks denied that he was pushed.
“It was a voluntary decision; I felt that I was no longer adding any value to the national Parliament. Before I resigned, I held discussions with my ANC leadership here in KZN. So, it’s not true that I had problems with the ANC leadership. Also, it’s important to highlight the fact that when I resigned, the charges against me had already been withdrawn.”
Dirks, who was previously linked to the ANC’s radical economic transformation (RET) faction and is an open supporter of former president Jacob Zuma, denied that he was party to factionalism.
“It’s completely untrue. People who were saying those kinds of things about me just wanted to taint my image. To prove that those people who said bad things about me were wrong, I’m currently working tirelessly to ensure victory for the ANC in next year’s general elections.
“As an ANC member, my message is clear: we must unite and defend the ANC. Let’s pull together to ensure victory for the ANC in KZN and nationally,” he said.
Dirks will be serving in the KZN Legislature’s portfolio committees of Economic Development, Tourism, Agriculture and Environmental Affairs.
